Niro wo Motomete
by Sa-chan04
Summary: Finding Nemo humanized. A little boy named Niro gets kidnapped and his father, Marion, searches for him. UPDATED FINALLY Dora loses the jacket, along with Marion's hopes of finding his son.
1. Prologue: Intruder

Okay, I know that humanizing the FN characters isn't exactly a new idea anymore. Lots of people have humanoid fanfics posted now. But what's different about this one is that the humanoids have new names. The names are similar to the original character's names, so you'll be able to tell who they all are. If you can't tell just by the names, then you'll figure it out by their roles in the fanfic.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the plot of Finding Nemo or it's characters in any way. If I did, all hell would break loose!! *evil grin* Ahem... on with the fanfic.  
  
~.~.~  
  
Niro wo Motomete  
  
Prologue: Intruder  
  
The last few rays of sunlight filtered through the clouds and fell upon a beautiful little white house right on the beach. In the twilight, everything had a kind of purplish glow, creating a mood that could only be described as, "Wow."  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Mmm-hmm."  
  
There was a slight pause, and then a contented sigh. "Wow..."  
  
"Yes, Marion. No, I see it. It's beautiful." Standing in the doorway was a beautiful young woman with lovely shoulder-length orange hair. Next to her stood her husband, also orange-haired, clad in brown slacks and a button- down shirt. He stepped out onto the grass.  
  
"So, Carol," he said proudly, gesturing out toward the horizon, "When you said you wanted an ocean view, you didn't think you were gonna' get the whole ocean? Did ya'? Huh?"  
  
Carol smiled at him.  
  
Marion took a deep breath. "Oh, yeah," he sighed, "You can really breathe out here. Did your man deliver, or did he deliver?"  
  
"My man delivered," Carol replied playfully.  
  
"And I tell ya', it wasn't easy getting this house either," Marion boasted.  
  
"Because a lot of couples had their eye on this place," Carol finished for him.  
  
Marion smiled. "You better believe they did!"  
  
Carol took her husband's hand. "You did good."  
  
Marion turned back to his wife, a concerned look on his face. "So you do like it, don't you?"  
  
"No, no, no, no, I do, I do. I really do like it," she said reassuringly, "But Marion, I know that a house on the beach is desirable, with the ocean view and all that, but do we really need so much space?"  
  
"Carol, honey! These are our kids we're talking about! They deserve the best! Look, look, look..." Marion stepped inside the house, and looked out at the view through the front door, "They'll wake up, open the front door, and they see the entire ocean right outside their window!"  
  
Carol laughed. "Shh, you'll wake the kids."  
  
"Oh, right, right," Marion whispered.  
  
Carol put her hand gently on her stomach. She was nine months pregnant. With twins. She prodded her husband lightly. "We still have to name them," she said suggestively.  
  
"You want to name both of them right now?" Marion asked. "Okay, uh... we'll name one Marion Jr. and one Carol Jr. Okay? We're done."  
  
Marion turned and began to walk into the house.  
  
"I like Niro," Carol thought aloud.  
  
Marion turned back to her. "Niro?" he repeated. "Well, we'll name one Niro, but I'd like the other to be Marion Jr."  
  
Carol smiled excitedly. "Just think. In a couple of days, we're going to be parents!"  
  
Marion sighed. "Yeah..." He paused for a moment, and then another worried look crossed his face. "What if they don't like me?"  
  
Carol rolled her eyes, "Marion..." She walked into the house. "There are two babies. Odds are one of them will like you."  
  
Marion followed her into the living room, and smiled at her. She turned and looked at him. "What?"  
  
"Remember how we met?" Marion asked.  
  
Carol smiled crookedly at the embarassing memory. "Well, I try not to..."  
  
"Well, I remember," Marion said. "Excuse me, miss..." he said playfully, re- enacting the scene, "I seem to have lost my phone number. May I have yours?"  
  
"Marion!" Carol laughed, turning away from him. He circled around her and leaned in for a kiss. "Get away, get away!" she cried playfully, ducking around him and down the kitchen hallway.  
  
"Here he is!" Marion exclaimed, "Cutie's here!"  
  
Carol stood perfectly still in the hallway, her expression frozen. Marion followed her eyes to the end of the hallway, and something was wrong.  
  
That something made Marion's blood run cold.  
  
The side door had been opened, and someone was in the house. The figure at the end of the hallway was too dark to identify, but just clear enough to make his intention known:  
  
He wanted to kill.  
  
"Carol," Marion whispered as loudly as he dared, "Get inside here, Carol." The only movement Carol made was in her eyes darting to the kitchen counter. The light from outside caught the silver blade of a steak knife, lying temptingly within her reach. If only she could reach it, she might have a chance...  
  
"Carol, don't!" Marion hissed, "You! Inside! Now!"  
  
Without a sound, Carol made up her mind. In one swift movement, she grabbed the knife off the counter, and ran at the intruder.  
  
"No!" Marion screamed. He dove at her, but the intruder whirled and he felt something blunt crack against the back of his skull. His head was sent flying hard into the wall, and he spiraled to the ground.  
  
The last thing he heard was the sound of a gunshot.  
  
Then everything went black.  
  
~.~.~  
  
The gentle darkness and hypnotic patterns of blue and red light that danced on the walls slowly coaxed Marion back into consciousness. Even before he opened his eyes, he could hear the faint wails of police sirens and clicking of walkie-talkies in the distance.  
  
The back of his head throbbed badly. He touched his hand to his forehead, and felt that it was wrapped with bandages. He sat upright and looked down at himself. He was on a stretcher.  
  
The pain in his head was so dull and intense, Marion almost wished he were unconscious again, but then he remembered the bang he'd heard right before he blacked out. He scrambled to his feet, and screamed, "Carol!"  
  
An ambulance was parked not too far away. A nearby doctor noticed that Marion was awake, and tried to stop him from standing.  
  
Marion ignored him. Pushing past the doctor, he ran across the yard, trying his best to ignore the searing pain in his head.  
  
It was colder than before, and much more empty. Though he could see the white stripes of many police cars parked around the parameter, and he could hear the voices of many policemen and doctors hovering around the area, Marion felt more alone than he'd ever felt before.  
  
He ran back and forth, screaming his wife's name. "Carol!" he yelled, frantically.  
  
He took off around the side of the house, slowing his pace to a walk for fear of what he might find. Or not find. "Carol?" he whispered nervously, turning the corner to the front yard. He stopped, and gasped.  
  
Oblivious to his presence, police mingled around a spot on the driveway. A spot where, in the light of the moon and the police's flashlights, a white chalk line glowed against the black pavement.  
  
A white line that formed an expressionless, blank, yet terrifyingly recognizable shape. The shape of a body.  
  
"Carol?" Marion said again. The pain of realizing that he wouldn't get an answer caused his eyes to fill with tears. "Carol?" He no longer said the name in hope of getting a reply. He said it out of pure loneliness and despair.  
  
Marion turned and walked back to the ambulance, sobbing quietly. He sat down on his stretcher and buried his face in his hands, and cried.  
  
A doctor appeared next to him. Marion looked up at the doctor reluctantly. He really didn't want to talk to anyone. The doctor put his hand on Marion's shoulder sympathetically, and led him over to the back of the ambulance, where the group of doctors mingled. When they saw Marion, they stepped respectively out of the way, revealing the reason for their presence.  
  
Marion gasped quietly. Asleep on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance was a newborn baby. It couldn't be... one of the twins?  
  
With a sigh, Marion gently picked up his infant son and held him in his arms. He stared lovingly at the sleeping baby's face, and whispered, "There, there... it's okay, daddy's here." He ran his fingers through the baby's thin, soft orange hair. "Daddy's got you..."  
  
Marion noticed that the child's right arm was wrapped in a bandage, and held in a brace. The boy's injury had been caused by the same bullet that taken both his mother and his twin brother away.  
  
"I promise," Marion whispered to his only son, "I'll never let anything happen to you... Niro..."  
  
~.~.~  
  
A depressing place to leave off, I know. Ah well. Please review! I'd appreciate it! ^_^ 


	2. Chapter 1: First Day of School

Whoo, Chapter 1! Time for some comic relief! ^^ By the way, I was too lazy to come up with humanoid names for the three kid's dads, so... oh well.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Nemo, bla bla bla, and all that jazz.  
  
~.~.~  
  
Niro wo Motomete  
  
Chapter 1: First day of School  
  
The morning sunlight filtered in through Marion's window, filling the room with a warm peaceful atmosphere. Not too far away, a small high-pitched voice came flying into the room. "First day of school! First day of school!"  
  
The smiling face of a little boy with flaming orange hair suddenly appeared above Marion. It was his six year old son, Niro. "Wake up, wake up! First day of school!" the little boy chanted excitedly, bouncing up and down on his father's bed.  
  
"I don't wanna go to school," Marion grumbled, still halfway asleep, "Five more minutes."  
  
"Not you, dad, me!" Niro said, "Come on, get up!"  
  
"Alright, I'm up, I'm up." Marion sat up and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"First day of school!" Niro chanted, running down the hallway, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy-- whoa!" In his excitement, the little boy tripped and stumbled out of sight.  
  
"Niro!" Marion exclaimed, jumping out of bed. He took off down the hallway to his son.  
  
Niro was lying upside down in the trash can, his feet sticking out the top. Nevertheless, Marion could still hear his voice echoing from inside, "First day of school! First day of school!"  
  
"Niro, don't move!" Marion said, "You'll never get out of there yourself! I'll do it..." Marion grabbed his son's ankles and hoisted him out of the trash can. He lowered him onto the couch, and sat him upright. "Okay, where's the break? Do you feel a break?"  
  
"No," Niro answered simply.  
  
"Sometimes you can't tell 'cause fluid is rushing to the area. Now, any rushing fluids?" Marion asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Are you woozy?"  
  
"No."  
  
"How many fingers am I holding up?"  
  
"I'm fine!" Niro said.  
  
"Answer the question!"  
  
"Three," Niro replied, rolling his eyes.  
  
"No, see? Something's wrong with you, I have one... two... three... I am?" Marion looked at his hand and saw that he was, indeed, holding up three fingers. He sighed. "Oh, you're okay. How's your lucky arm?"  
  
"Lucky!" Niro replied, waving his right arm in the air for emphasis. It was noticeably shorter than his left arm, and slightly malformed. But Marion didn't want his son to be considered a cripple, so he just called it Niro's 'lucky' arm.  
  
"Let's see," Marion said, holding out his hand. Niro smiled and gave his dad a high-five. Marion kneeled down and looked his son in the eye. "Are you sure you want to go to school this year? 'Cause it's no problem if you don't! I can home school you for another five or... six years..."  
  
Niro rolled his eyes and tugged on his dad's sleeve. "Come on, dad, it's time for school!"  
  
"Ah, ah, ah! Forgot to brush!" Marion said.  
  
Niro sighed. "Oh..."  
  
Marion put his hands on his hips. "Do you want the landlord to throw you out?"  
  
Niro paused for a moment in thought. "... yes!"  
  
"Brush."  
  
Niro sighed again, and ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. A few seconds later, he reemerged and ran for the door. "Okay, I'm done!"  
  
Marion grabbed him. "You missed a spot!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"There!" Marion smacked Niro playfully. Niro giggled. "And here, and there, and here!"  
  
~.~.~  
  
Marion and Niro stepped outside. "Okay, we're excited. First day of school, here we go, we're ready to learn to get some knowledge!" Marion said enthusiastically, "Now what's the first thing we have to remember about the city?"  
  
"It's not safe," Niro recited.  
  
"That's my boy," Marion smiled. "So, before you cross the street, look both ways. First look right, then look left. Then look right, and look left. And then one more time, look left, and look right... And sometimes, if you want to do it four times..."  
  
Niro rolled his eyes and started to walk. "Daaad..."  
  
"Okay, come on boy!"  
  
Niro ran ahead of his dad, skipping excitedly. "Dad, maybe when we go into the city, I'll see a gangster!"  
  
Marion smiled nervously. "I highly doubt that."  
  
Niro turned around and ran backwards. "Have you ever met a gangster?"  
  
"No, and I don't plan to!"  
  
"How old are surfers?"  
  
Marion blinked. "Surfers?" he repeated, "I... I don't know."  
  
"Sadie Pleakton from next door, he says that there's this group of surfers, and some of them are eighty years old!"  
  
"Well, if I ever meet a surfer dude, I'll ask him," Marion said, "Right after I'm done talking to the gangster, okay? Ah, ah, ah! Wait to cross!"  
  
The two had just reached a crosswalk. When the light turned red, Marion grabbed Niro's wrist. "Hold my hand, hold my hand..."  
  
"Dad, you're not going to freak out like you did at the petting zoo, are you?"  
  
"Hey, that duck was about to charge."  
  
Father and son walked down the sidewalk to the schoolyard. Parents and their children mingled in the park, talking and playing. Not too far away, two kids were playing catch with a third boy's hat. "Come on you guys!" the smaller boy said, "Stop it! Give it back!"  
  
"Maybe we should try over here," Marion said, heading toward the school building.  
  
Three men were standing not too far away, laughing with each other. One was tall and skinny with curly brown hair, and he was wearing cowboy boots. The second was shorter, his hair a vivid blonde. The third was on the chubby side, with dark skin and short light-pink dreadlocks. Marion walked up to them. "Excuse me, is this where we meet his teacher?"  
  
The tall man with the curly brown hair looked Marion up and down. "Well, look who's out of the apartment."  
  
Marion smiled. "Yes, shocking, I know."  
  
"Marty, right?"  
  
"Marion," he corrected.  
  
"Bob," said the curly-haired man.  
  
"Ted," added the chubby one.  
  
"Phil," finished the blonde. "Hey... hey, you're that guy who used to be on that comedy show! Hey, tell us a joke!"  
  
Marion smiled sheepishly. "Well, I'm retired now..."  
  
"Aww, come on!" Phil said.  
  
"Yeah, do somethin' funny!" added Ted. Bob nodded.  
  
"Well, I do know one joke... um..." Marion thought for a moment. "There's a mollusk, see? And, and he walks up... well, he doesn't walk up-he swims up. And then the sea cucumber... well they... I'm mixed up. There was a mollusk and a sea cucumber. None of them were moving so forget that I said..."  
  
Marion was cut off by Bob, who yelled suddenly, "Sheridan! Get out of Mr. Johnson's yard now!"  
  
Marion turned around to see three kids running around in front of a little white house. An old grumpy-looking man with a cane rose to his feet. He was hunched over to the left, and his mouth seemed to be stuck in a permanent frown.  
  
"Alright you kids," he grumbled, turning to face the three tiny intruders. Laughing, they simply hid to the right side of the old man. "Ehh, where'd ya' go? Where'd ya' go?" Mr. Johnson grunted, turning around in circles trying to catch the kids. "Where, where'd ya' go?"  
  
Niro nudged Marion. "Dad, dad, can I go play too? Can I?"  
  
Marion smiled nervously. "I'd feel better if you'd go play over on the trampolines."  
  
Over in the playground, there were several small trampolines, each with little toddlers bouncing up and down. One kid, who couldn't have been older than two, tripped and fell. There was a dramatic silence, and then he started crying.  
  
Niro looked up at Marion with a 'you can't be serious' look.  
  
Marion smiled. "That's where I would play."  
  
Just then, the three kids came up to Niro. A little girl with dark skin and pink cornrow braids looked at Niro's right arm. "What's wrong with his hand?" she asked innocently.  
  
A boy with bright yellow hair and a purple t-shirt added shamelessly, "He looks funny!"  
  
Bob smacked the third boy upside the head. "Ow!" he yelled. Like his father, he too had short curly brown hair. "What'd I do? What'd I do?"  
  
"Be nice," Bob scolded, "It's his first time at school."  
  
Marion patted Niro's head. "He was born with it, kids. We call it his lucky arm."  
  
Niro blushed. "Daaad..."  
  
The little pink-haired girl, Pearle, tilted her head to one side. "See this pigtail?" she asked, pointing to one of her braids, "It's actually shorter than all my other pigtails, but you can't really tell. Especially when I twirl them like this!" The little girl proudly spun herself around.  
  
The curly-haired boy, Sheridan, was next to introduce himself. "I have really bad allergies." Right on cue, he sneezed loudly and fell backwards.  
  
The third boy, Ted, put his face right up in front of Niro's and boasted, "I'm obnoxious!"  
  
Just then, singing became audible in the distance as a gray van pulled up in front of the school. "Oh, let's name the zones, the zones, the zones... let's name the zones of the open sea!" sang the driver.  
  
"Mr. Raymond!" the kids exclaimed in unison, rushing over to greet their teacher.  
  
"Come on, Niro," Sheridan said.  
  
Niro started to follow, but Marion held him back. "You'd better stay with me."  
  
"...mesopolagic, bathyal, abyssalpelagic. All the rest are too deep for you and me to see!" Mr. Raymond stopped his van in front of the kids, and stepped out onto the other side of the street. He was tall, and he had thick ear- length dark grayish-blue hair, with the exception of a long thin braid in the back. He wore small rectangular glasses and a white scientist's coat. "Huh. I wonder where my class has gone."  
  
The kids appeared from behind the van. "We're over here!"  
  
"Oh, there you are!" Mr. Raymond exclaimed. "Climb aboard, explorers! Oooh, knowledge exploring is oh so lyrical when you think thoughts that are empirical!"  
  
After all the students had piled into the van, Niro followed behind. Mr. Raymond stopped him. "Well, hello! Who is this?"  
  
"I'm Niro," Niro replied.  
  
Mr. Raymond smiled at his new student. "Welcome aboard, explorer!"  
  
Niro smiled and sat down in the van. Marion leaned toward Mr. Raymond. "Just so you know," he whispered, "He's got a crippled arm. I find if he's have problems with dexterity, let him take a break. Ten, fifteen minutes..."  
  
"Dad, it's time for you to go now!" Niro said.  
  
"Don't worry," Mr. Raymond said, winking, "We're gonna' stay together as a group." He shut the van door and began to drive. "Okay, optical orbits upfront. And remember, we keep out supraesophogeal ganglion to ourselves. That means you, Jimmy..."  
  
"Bye Niro!" Marion called.  
  
"Bye dad!" Niro replied.  
  
"Bye, son!" Marion yelled again, and added quietly, "Be safe..."  
  
Bob, Ted, and Phil appeared behind him. "Hey, you're doin' pretty well for a first-timer," Bob commented.  
  
"Well, you can't hold onto 'em forever, can you?" Marion replied.  
  
"Yeah, I had trouble with my oldest one out of the drop-off," Phil added.  
  
"They just gotta' grow up someda-the drop-off!?" Marion exclaimed, "They're going to the drop off!? What are you, insane!?" The couldn't go to the drop- off! That was where his and Carol's old house had been... that was where she'd been killed... that was where he'd vowed to always protect his only son! In a mad panic, Marion turned and ran off after the van.  
  
"Hey, Marty, calm down!" Bob said.  
  
"Don't tell me to be calm, pony boy!" Marion yelled back before he disappeared in the distance.  
  
Bob cocked an eyebrow. "'Pony boy?'"  
  
Phil glanced at him. "You know, for a comedian, he really isn't that funny."  
  
Ted nodded. "Pity." 


	3. Chapter 2: Gone

Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Nemo. Uh, durr. XD  
  
~.~.~  
  
Niro wo Motomete  
  
Chapter 2: Gone  
  
Just as enthusiastic as ever, Mr. Raymond's singing continued as the gray van drove down the road to the beach. "Ooh, let's name the species, the species, the species, let's name the species that live in the sea!" sang the scientist.  
  
Niro gazed out the window and watched the sparkly blue blanket of water flying past. "Cool..."  
  
"There's porifera, coelenterata, hydrozoa, scyphozoa, anthozoa, ctenophora,  
  
bryozoas, three! Gastropoda, arthropoda, echinoderma, and some fish like you and me. Come on, sing with me. Oh...!"  
  
Niro saw tiny sailboats off in the distance, and beachgoers playing on the sand. The beach was dotted with colorful umbrellas and towels, occupied by tanning men and women, and laughing children. Mr. Raymond continued to drive, looking for a suitable spot to explore.  
  
"Just the girls this time. Oh, seaweed is cool. Seaweed is fun. It makes it's food with the rays of the sun..."  
  
After a while, they reached a stretch of sand that was unoccupied. The area was small, and surrounded by vegetation and tall beach grass. Mr. Raymond parked his van on the sand, and opened the doors.  
  
"Okay, the drop-off. All right, kids, feel free to explore, but stay close." Suddenly, Mr. Raymond spotted a tide pool and gasped. "Stromalitic cyanobacteria! Gather." The class gathered around the tide pool to view a tiny glowing speck in the water. "An entire ecosystem contained in one infinitesimal speck," Mr. Raymond said, "There are as many protein pairs contained in this..."  
  
Niro stood listening to the scientific explanation, his three friends behind him. Ted, the obnoxious blonde boy, rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, let's go."  
  
Niro turned to see Ted, Pearle, and Sheridan sneaking off past the bushes, and began to follow them as Mr. Raymond began singing again in the background. "Come on, sing with me! There's porifera, coelentera, hydrozoa, scyphozoa, anthozoa, ctenophora, bryozoas, three!"  
  
"Hey guys, wait up!" Niro called, following the path his friends had taken. Suddenly, he stopped. "Whoa."  
  
He was standing in front of a three-foot-high fence, looking out at a vast network of dark, empty, looming buildings. This was the outskirts of the place his father feared the most: the city. Terrifyingly quiet, the only sign of life in the shadowy concrete emptiness was a large truck parked not more than a hundred yards away.  
  
The four kids gaped at the sight, leaning onto the fence to get a better look. No one made a sound. Suddenly, Ted grabbed Pearle by the shoulders and pulled her away from the fence. "Saved your life!" he yelled.  
  
Pearle screamed, and a wet spot appeared down the front of her shorts. "Aww, you guys made me make..."  
  
Ted and Sheridan laughed hysterically, and then resumed looking out at the city. After a moment, Sheridan climbed over the fence and took a few steps before turning to face his friends. "Ooh, look at me! I'm gonna' go touch the truck!" Just then, a sneeze sent Sheridan toppling backwards. "Whoa!"  
  
Again, the three other kids giggled hysterically. Sheridan put his hands on his hips. "Oh yeah? Well let's see you get closer!"  
  
Pearled smirked. "Okay." She climbed over the fence and took a few steps past Sheridan. "Beat that!" she said proudly.  
  
Then Ted climbed over, and took a few steps past Pearle. "Come on, Niro! How far can you go?" he called out to the orange-haired boy.  
  
Niro looked away shyly. "Oh, um... my dad says it's not safe..."  
  
As if on cue, Marion appeared from behind the bushes. "Niro! No!" He grabbed his son and pulled him away from the fence.  
  
"Dad!?" Niro exclaimed.  
  
"You were about to go into the city!"  
  
"No, I wasn't gonna go out there. But dad, no..." Niro said defensively.  
  
Ted, Pearle, and Sheridan scrambled back over the fence and rushed to Niro's side. "No, sir, he wasn't gonna go out there!" Sheridan said.  
  
"Yeah," Ted added, "He was too afraid!"  
  
Niro turned to Ted. "No I wasn't!"  
  
Marion looked around at Niro's three friends. "This does not concern you kids! And you're lucky I don't tell your parents you were out there!" he turned back to his son. "You know you have a handicap!"  
  
"It's fine, dad, okay!?" Niro said, his defensiveness turning to anger.  
  
Mr. Raymond, who'd been drawn over by all the commotion, poked his head out from behind the bushes, along with the rest of his class.  
  
In the background, Marion could be heard countering, "No, it's not okay! You shouldn't be anywhere near here!" He sighed, and took his son by the wrist. "You know what? I was right. We'll start school in a year or two."  
  
Niro ripped his arm out of his father's grip. "No, dad! Just because you're scared of the city..."  
  
"Clearly you're not ready, and you're not coming back until you are," Marion said flatly, "You think you can do these things but you just can't, Niro!"  
  
Niro looked away angrily and said softly, "I hate you."  
  
It felt like a slap to the face. Marion took a step backward, his face showing nothing but pure hurt.  
  
In an effort to break the silence, Mr. Raymond sung, "Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's nothing to see." He pointed his class in a different direction and said, "Gather! Uh, over there!" The scientist then walked over to Marion. "Excuse me, uh, is there anything I can do to help? I am a scientist, sir, is there any problem?"  
  
"I'm really sorry for interrupting things," Marion explained, "It's just that he has a handicap and I just think It's a little too soon for him to be out here unsupervised."  
  
Niro scowled, and glanced over at the truck in the distance.  
  
"Well, I can assure you he's quite safe with me," Mr. Raymond said.  
  
"No, I'm sure he is! It's just that you have a large class, and he could get lost, you know, from sight if you're not looking. Now, I'm not saying you're not looking, it's just..."  
  
A short bucktoothed girl with blue hair and large thick coke-bottle glasses glanced of to the side and gasped and pointed. "Oh my gosh! Niro's going into the city!"  
  
Marion whirled. Niro had jumped the fence, and was headed straight for the white truck. "Niro!" Marion yelled. "What do you think you're doing!?"  
  
Niro ignored him.  
  
"You're gonna get stuck out there and I'm gonna have to get you before someone else does!" Marion continued, "Get back here! I said get back here now!"  
  
Niro still didn't listen.  
  
"STOP!" Marion bellowed. Now Niro was standing right next to the white truck. He turned around and looked back at his dad in the distance. "If you take one more move mister," Marion threatened.  
  
Niro lifted his left hand and let it hover a few inches from the hood of the truck.  
  
"Do... don't you dare!" Marion yelled, "If you put one finger on that truck... are you listening to me!? Don't touch the..."  
  
Niro slapped his hand down on the hood of the truck.  
  
"Niro!"  
  
Ted whispered to Sheridan and Pearle. "He touched the truck!"  
  
Without saying a word, Niro started walking back to the fence. "You just march your little butt back over here," Marion yelled, "That's right. You are in big trouble, young man! Do you hear me? Big..." Marion trailed off. His face went pale.  
  
Someone was behind Niro.  
  
Niro turned to look behind him and screamed. "Aah! Daddy! Help me!" Niro started to run, but the man behind him grabbed him by the wrist.  
  
"I'm coming Niro!" Marion yelled. He had one foot over the fence when a second man appeared, right in front of him.  
  
Pearle screamed. "Get in the van, kids!" Mr. Raymond yelled.  
  
"Daddy!" Niro screamed, but the first man clamped his hand over the boy's mouth.  
  
"Niro!" Marion tried to get around the man in front of him, but he was grabbed by the shirt and thrown back over the fence. Rubbing his head, he looked up just in time to see the two men getting into the truck and driving off with his son. "Niro, no!" Marion leapt over the fence and chased after the truck as fast as he could.  
  
As the truck zoomed down the empty streets further into the city, a pot hole caught the tire. The vehicle rocked violently and the trunk snapped open, sending a green camouflage jacket flying to the ground. The garment slid across the pavement before coming to a stop in the bluish shadows. 


	4. Chapter 3: Dora

Whoo-hoo! Dora makes her first appearance next! *confetti* Also, the fic has been edited a little, just so you know.  
  
Disclaimer: Argh, why do you people make me say it every chapter? I don't own Finding Nemo, okay? Yeesh.  
  
Note: Don't expect very frequent updates in the future. I'm kind of depressed right now, cuz I have barely any motivation, and on top of that I'm planning on completely re-writing this fic from start to finish. Plus I've got tons of pic requests backed up, and my muses are on strike. -_-;;  
  
~.~.~  
  
Niro wo Motomete  
  
Chapter 3: Dora  
  
Marion never stopped to take a breath as he chased after the cloud of dust that the tires of the truck had kicked up. His orange hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. "No..." he panted, noticing the cloud of dust rising and dispersing into nothing. "No, no, it's gone... no, no, it can't be gone!"  
  
The truck was nowhere in sight, and now the trail it had left behind was gone too. Frantically, Marion scrambled up a nearby fire escape and climbed onto the roof of a tall building. "Niro!" he screamed, "Niro! No! Please, no!" He searched the streets below for any sign of his son, but to his horror found that he was alone.  
  
He climbed back down the fire escape and took off running again. He soon found himself on a busy city sidewalk. Pedestrians passed him left and right without giving him a second thought. "Has anybody seen a truck? A white truck? Please, they took my son!" Marion yelled out hoping that someone would listen, but all he got for a response was a rude shove out of the way.  
  
Desperately, Marion ran down the sidewalk yelling out to no one in particular. Suddenly, he heard a voice from directly in front of him.  
  
"Look out!"  
  
"Aah!"  
  
Marion screamed, and barely had time to blink before a woman crashed right into him.  
  
The next thing he knew, he was sitting on the ground several feet from the sidewalk, with grass stains on the knees of his pants. He rubbed his head and groaned.  
  
"Oh, oh! Sorry!" a high-pitched feminine voice said. "I didn't see you! Sir? Are you okay?"  
  
A tall woman with royal blue hair held in two pigtails kneeled down beside him. She had ruby-red eyes, and a sweet childlike-face complete with freckles over her nose and cheeks. She put her hand on Marion's shoulder and tilted her head to the side sympathetically. "There, there..." she said, "It's alright, it'll be okay..."  
  
"No... no, no, they took him away!" Marion stuttered, rising to his feet, ready to take off running again. "I... I have to find that truck...!"  
  
"Oh, hey, I've seen a truck!" the blue-haired woman exclaimed happily. "It drove by not too long ago!"  
  
"A white one?" Marion questioned frantically.  
  
The blue-haired woman smiled warmly, and held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Dora," she said simply.  
  
"Where!?" Marion yelled, "Which way!?"  
  
Dora's ruby-colored eyes lit up. "Oh! Oh! Oh! It, it went um... this way!" she exclaimed, pointing down the street, "It went this way! Follow me!" With that, Dora took off running in the direction she had pointed to.  
  
Marion took off after her. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" he managed.  
  
Dora looked back at him with a casual smile. "No problem!"  
  
The two emerged from the busy street, and soon found themselves to be the only two in sight. Dora kept running, her pigtails bouncing happily with each stride.  
  
A few blocks later, she began slowing down, swerving left and right in boredom. She glanced back at Marion with a smile, and when she saw him she quickly resumed running, suddenly serious again.  
  
Marion cocked an eyebrow, now slightly confused.  
  
Dora glanced back at him again, thought to herself for a second, and then ran off down a different street. Thrown by the sudden change in direction, Marion almost lost his balance, but managed to follow her. She swerved again, looking back at him nervously. She turned in a random direction, running even faster than before.  
  
"Hey, wait!" Marion called.  
  
Now she was taking him back and forth, looping around onto and back from streets they'd already been on. For a minute, it almost seemed like she was trying to lose him!  
  
Then, all of a sudden, she came to a halt and turned to face her pursuer. "Will you quit it!?" she snapped.  
  
Marion took a step backward. "What?"  
  
"I'm trying to walk here! What, the city isn't big enough for ya' or somethin' like that?" she continued angrily, "You got a problem buddy? Huh? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya?"  
  
Marion just stared at her in shock.  
  
"You want a piece of me?" she asked, striking a kung-fu pose. "Yeah, yeah, I'm scared now! What?"  
  
"What are you talking about!?" Marion exclaimed, "You're showing me which way the truck went!"  
  
Dora suddenly brightened. "A truck? Hey, I've seen a truck! It drove by not too long ago. It went um..." She looked around for a minute, before turning back to Marion and pointing in a random direction. "It went this way! Follow me!" p The blue-haired girl started to run off again, but Marion stopped her. "Wait a minute... wait a minute!" Marion ran ahead of Dora and turned to face her. "What is going on!? You already told me which way the truck went!"  
  
Dora blinked innocently. "I did?" she asked blankly. "Ooh, no..."  
  
"If this is some kind of practical joke, it's not funny!" Marion continued, "And I know funny! I was a comedian!"  
  
"No, no, it's not, I know it's not funny..." Dora said apologetically, "I am so sorry... you see, I suffer from short-term memory loss."  
  
Marion stared at her. "Short-term memory loss," he repeated.  
  
Dora nodded.  
  
"I don't believe this!" Marion said to himself, turning to walk away.  
  
Dora stepped in front of him. "No, it's true! I forget things almost instantly. It runs in my family!" she explained. "I mean, at least I think it does..." She put her hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm... where are they?" She stared off in a random direction for a moment, before spotting Marion out of the corner of her eye. Another bright smile appeared on her face. "Can I help you?" she asked innocently.  
  
Marion stared. "...Something's wrong with you," he stated blankly, "Really. You... you're wasting my time. I've got to find my son."  
  
Again, Marion turned, intent on continuing his search for his son. And, again, he stopped dead.  
  
Marion was face-to-face with a tall, stocky man perched atop a gleaming motorcycle. He had short light dust-blue hair and a dark blue bandana tied around his forehead. His attire consisted of a black t-shirt with a flaming 8-ball on the front. Around his neck he wore a gold chain with a symbol-- a triangle inside a circle-- strung onto it. He grinned. "Hello," he greeted in a rough Australian accent.  
  
Sitting on the motorcycle seat, the man loomed at least a full foot over Marion. The latter stood silently, shaking. Dora, on the other hand, bounced up to the man on the motorcycle and smiled up at him. "Well, hi!" she said cheerfully.  
  
The man extended a gloved hand towards Marion. "Name's Buru-su!" he announced.  
  
Marion just shook harder.  
  
"S'alright, I understand," Buru-su said thoughtfully, backing his motorcycle out of the way, "Nobody trusts bikers, do they?"  
  
Marion watched as Buru-su backed up the motorcycle, and turned around as if to make a subtle exit. Then, suddenly, the motorcycle whirled around and zoomed straight at him. Before he even had time to get scared, he heard a skidding sound and the motorcycle came to an abrupt halt. Again, all Marion could do was shake.  
  
Seeing the expressions of terror and shock on Marion and Dora's faces, Buru- su emitted a series of low belly laughs. He climbed off the seat of his motorcycle and grinned at the two pedestrians. "So..." he said casually, "What's a couple of suburbians like you doin' out so late, ey?"  
  
"N... nothing," Marion stuttered, cowering behind Dora, "We aren't doing anything... we're not even out."  
  
Buru-su's grin widened. "Great!" he said, "Then how'd you two like to come to a little... a little get together I'm havin'?"  
  
Dora smiled. "You mean like a party?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, right," Buru-su said, "A party, heheh. Whatdya' say?"  
  
Dora tugged on Marion's sleeve. "Ooh, I love parties! That sounds like fun!"  
  
Marion nodded nervously and took a few steps backwards. "Parties are fun. And it's tempting, but I really have to be..."  
  
But the orange-haired man was cut off as Buru-su placed one arm over his and Dora's shoulders. "Aw, come on! I insist!" Grinning, Buru-su led the two down a dark empty street.  
  
All Marion could do was utter an anxious agreement. 


	5. Chapter 4: The AA Trio

Yay! Da trio is up next! Hooray for Alcoholics Anonymous!! XD  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Nemo. So there!  
  
~.~.~  
  
Niro wo Motomete  
  
Chapter 4: The AA Trio  
  
As the surrounding buildings became taller, the air emptier, and the light dimmer, Marion's nervousness increased exponentially. Dora bounced along beside him, happy as ever. Riding on his motorcycle at a slow leisurely pace, Buru-su led them further and further down the dark streets.  
  
At last they seemed to be nearing one building in particular. It was several stories high, and more than twice as long. The exterior was brick, some areas crumbling from age and wear. On one side, the number '22' was spray painted in white. The windows were dirty and shattered, some of them hastily boarded up.  
  
Marion noticed two more motorcycles parked near a rusty metal door, partially hidden in shadow. That was where Buru-su was headed. Marion shivered, wishing with all his being that he were anywhere else. He hesitated, momentarily considering the possibility of sneaking off, but Buru-su dragged him onward.  
  
Buru-su slowed his motorcycle to a stop next to the other two, and climbed off the seat. He turned to the door, and led Marion and Dora closer still. "Andy! Chet!" he called as he approached. Just then, the rusty door opened, and two men appeared in the doorway. Presumably they were Andy and Chet.  
  
One was on the short side, and skinny. He had blue-gray hair, slightly darker than Buru-su's, combed forward so that it came to a sharp point. He was wearing a white tank top, with an unbuttoned gray shirt worn loosely over it. His nose was pierced.  
  
The second one was taller. He wore faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was brown, and was most unusually pulled into pigtails. Still, for some reason, his unique hair style didn't lessen his menacingly tough appearance.  
  
"There you are, finally!" the pigtailed man commented.  
  
Buru-su grinned. "We got company," he announced, referring to Marion and Dora on either side of him.  
  
"Well it's about time, mate!" said the pigtailed man.  
  
"The cops are already on our tails," complained the shorter man, "And I can't take it!"  
  
"They almost took us back to the big house."  
  
Marion closed his eyes and cringed as he felt Buru-su push him through the doorway.  
  
"Come on, let's get this over with!"  
  
There was no way he could get out of this alive...  
  
Ding!  
  
Marion opened one eye and found himself in a dusty, dimly-lit, unkempt room with several chairs, a small black-and-white TV set sitting on a board placed over two cinderblocks, and a weathered pool table off to the side.  
  
Andy and Chet were seated in two chairs facing Buru-su, who was standing before them as if he were on stage. Apparently, for some reason, he'd rung a bell.  
  
"The meeting has officially come to order," Buru-su announced. "Let us all say the pledge."  
  
Simultaneously, Buru-su, Andy, and Chet all raised their right hands and began to recite a pledge. Marion glanced at Dora, who had taken a seat and was now raising her right hand along with the three bikers. Marion just hunched over and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.  
  
"'I am a nice guy. Not a mindless drunk,'" the three recited, "'If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Treat others as you would like to be treated.'"  
  
The three dropped their hands back down to their sides, and the pigtailed man, Andy, added resentfully, "Except for cheerleaders!"  
  
"Cheerleaders, yeah!" the shorter one, Chet, spat, "They think they're so cute!" He stood up and flounced around mockingly, waving imaginary pom- poms. "Oh, look at me, I'm a flippin' little cheerleader, lemme flip for ya'! Ain't I somethin'?"  
  
Andy laughed.  
  
"Okay, today's meetin' is step five: Carry our message onto others," Buru- su announced, "Now, do you all have your friends?"  
  
"Got mine," Andy replied, gesturing to a small green-haired kid hyperventilating from fear in the corner.  
  
Dora waved at him. "Hi there!"  
  
Buru-su turned to Chet. "How 'bout you, Chet?"  
  
Chet hesitated. "Well I er... couldn't bring anyone because... I was... busy with the other... um... steps." Chet absentmindedly held out a half- empty Coke can. He did a double-take, and hid the can nervously behind his back. He smiled innocently.  
  
"It's alright, mate," Buru-su said, "I had a feeling this would be a difficult step. You can help yourself to one of my friends."  
  
As Buru-su was talking, the little green-haired boy managed to sneak out the door without anyone noticing.  
  
"Well, thanks mate," Chet said, putting his arm around Marion, "A buddy for Chet, ey?"  
  
Marion whimpered.  
  
"I'll start the testimonies," Buru-su said. He straightened himself up, trying to look as dignified as possible. "Hello. My name is Buru-su."  
  
"Hello, Buru-su," Andy and Chet recited tediously.  
  
"It has been three weeks since my last drink, on my honor!" he announced proudly, raising his right hand for emphasis, "Or may I be locked up in the county jail."  
  
Andy and Chet clapped. "You're an inspiration to all of us!" Chet commented.  
  
"Amen," said Andy.  
  
"Alright, who's next?" Buru-su asked.  
  
Dora hopped up and down in her seat, waving her hand in the air. "Oh, oh, oh! Pick me, pick me, pick me!"  
  
"Yes, the little Sheila down the front!"  
  
"Whoo-hoo!" Dora cheered.  
  
"Come on up here." Buru-su retreated from the small stage-esque section of floor where he'd made his speech, and joined his two friends.  
  
Dora took his place and faced her audience. "Hi, I'm Dora."  
  
"Hello, Dora," the three chorused.  
  
"And I don't... well... I don't think I've ever drank before." She smiled sheepishly.  
  
There was a slight pause, and then Chet started clapping again. "Wow, that's incredible!"  
  
"Good on ya', mate!" Buru-su congratulated.  
  
Dora sighed. "Phew. I'm glad I got that off my chest."  
  
"Alright, anyone else?" Buru-su asked. He spotted Marion sitting next to Chet. "Well how about you mate?" Chet gave Marion a playful noogie. "What's your problem?"  
  
Marion pulled away from Chet and found that he was now the center of attention. "Me?" he asked nervously, "I... I don't... well, I don't have a problem."  
  
Buru-su nodded, grinning. "Oh, okay..." he sympathized.  
  
"Denial!" the three chorused. Buru-su shoved him forward.  
  
"Just start with your name."  
  
"Uh... okay..." Marion stuttered, "Hello. My name is Marion. I'm a retired comedian..."  
  
Chet brightened. "A comedian? Really?"  
  
Buru-su and Andy rose from their seats and gathered around Marion. "Go on, tell us a joke!" Buru-su said.  
  
Chet pushed his way between his two friends. "I love jokes!"  
  
Marion grinned nervously. "Well, I... I do know one that's... pretty good... um... there was this mollusk, and... and a sea cucumber. Normally they don't talk, sea cucumbers, but in a joke, everyone talks..." As Marion struggled with the joke, the trio's grins began to fade with boredom. "...so then the mollusk says to the cucumber..."  
  
Suddenly, something outside caught Marion's eye. Through the shattered window, Marion could clearly see a camouflage jacket lying near a building right outside. He immediately recognized it to be the jacket from the man that had taken his son. "Niro!" he gasped.  
  
Chet burst out laughing. "Niro! Hahahaha! Niro! Heheh... I don't get it."  
  
"For a comedian, he's not that funny," Buru-su muttered.  
  
"No, no, no, he's my son," Marion explained, stepping outside. "He was taken by these people in a truck..."  
  
Chet scoffed. "Eh. The government. Think they own everything."  
  
"Probably American," Andy added.  
  
"Now there is a father," Buru-su said tearfully, gesturing to Marion, "Looking for his little boy!"  
  
Marion picked up the jacket, and looked at the tags for any kind of identification. There was something written near the tag in black marker, but it was written in another language. Marion sighed with frustration. "What language is this?"  
  
In the background, Buru-su started sobbing. "I never knew my father!"  
  
"Come here," Chet said.  
  
"Group hug," Andy said.  
  
"We're all mates here, mate." Andy and Chet gave Buru-su a big hug.  
  
Meanwhile, Marion was still puzzling over the jacket. "Ah, I can't read this writing!" he complained.  
  
Dora grabbed the jacket and smiled. "Well then we gotta' find somebody who can read this." She glanced off to the side and noticed the three bikers. "Oh look! Here's somebody!"  
  
"No, no, no, Dora!" Marion tried to stop her, but she was already skipping over to the trio.  
  
"Hey guys?" she asked as she neared them, her blue hair bouncing in sync with her skips.  
  
"No, Dora!" Marion said, grabbing the jacket.  
  
"Hey, gimmie that! It's mine!" Dora said, tugging the jacket.  
  
Marion tugged harder. "No! Dora!"  
  
"Gimmie!" Dora whined, tugging as hard as she could, "Gimmie!"  
  
Marion let go suddenly, sending Dora toppling backwards into Chet. She stood up.  
  
"Ow, ow, ow..." Dora said, rubbing her head.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Marion said.  
  
"Boy, I really bonked my head there..." Dora looked down at her shirt. It was damp. "Hey, did something spill on me?"  
  
Buru-su looked at her with concern. "Dora, are you oka-" He stopped suddenly. There was a familiar smell in the air, and it was coming from the stain on Dora's shirt. Even after three whole weeks, just one whiff of that smell was enough to be intoxicating.  
  
That spill on Dora's shirt was booze.  
  
A familiar grin spread across Buru-su's face, but something was different about it this time. It was no longer the big friendly smile that had greeted Marion and Dora in the alley way; the smile that had persuaded Marion to make a speech at the meeting, and encouraged him to tell a joke. This time, Buru-su's grin was menacing.  
  
He inhaled deeply, and his grin widened. "That's good," he said to himself.  
  
Andy and Chet gasped. "Intervention!" The two smaller boys lunged at Buru- su, pinned him against a wall.  
  
"No, Buru-su!" Andy said, struggling to restrain his friend.  
  
"Remember, beer is the enemy!" Chet reminded him, "Treat others as you would like to-"  
  
At that instant, Buru-su broke free from Andy and Chet. He stumbled a few feet, and then a horribly familiar click sounded in Marion's ears. With one glance at Buru-su, his worst fears were confirmed-that click was the cocking of a gun.  
  
Marion grabbed Dora by the wrist, and dashed through the rusty door. Buru- su followed suit, holding a black handgun at the ready. Chet watched with Andy at his side and shouted, "Remember the steps, mate!"  
  
The chase continued down a long hallway, and several loud shots echoed in the empty building. At last Marion could see an open door approaching at the end of the hallway. Again, he grabbed Dora by the hand and with a frantic burst of speed, he threw himself through the open door, and slammed it behind him, latching itself shut.  
  
Immediately, loud clanging against the metal was heard, as Buru-su shot repeatedly at the locked door. Marion searched around frantically for any kind of corner or closet to hide in, but found none. The room they were in was small and cluttered with boxes and junk. Marion pushed boxes aside, sending their contents crashing to the stone floor, looking for anything that might be of use to him. "There's no way out!" he yelled, "There's got to be a way to escape!"  
  
Dora, meanwhile, was still holding on to the green jacket. Hearing the loud metallic clangs that echoed with each gunshot, Dora turned to the door and asked politely, "Who is it?"  
  
Marion shook her. "Dora! Help me find a way out!"  
  
Another gunshot.  
  
"Sorry, you'll have to come back later. We're trying to escape."  
  
Marion continued overturning boxes and re-searching places where he'd already looked, muttering to himself, "There's gotta' be a way out... there's gotta' be a way out..."  
  
"Hey look, here's something!" Dora exclaimed, pointing to a small circular door on the ceiling, in a corner. There was writing on it.  
  
In the same language as the writing on the jacket.  
  
Dora stared at the words on the small circular door. "Es-CAP-ay!" she read aloud, "I wonder what that means. It's funny... it's spelled just like the word 'escape'."  
  
"Let's go!" Once again, Marion grabbed Dora's wrist and climbed through the door to the roof.  
  
Right at that moment, Buru-su broke through the first door, announcing, "Here's Buru-su!"  
  
Panting, Marion and Dora paused on the roof to catch their breath. Suddenly, something clicked in Marion's head. "Wait a minute..." he turned to Dora suddenly. "You're bilingual?"  
  
"I am?" Dora asked innocently. "Oh, that's right! I am bilingual!"  
  
In a frenzy of irritation, anxiety, and leftover adrenaline, Marion shoved the jacket at her and shouted, "Well then here, read this now!"  
  
But before she had time to respond, Buru-su threw open the circular door and climbed out onto the roof. The chase was on again. Marion and Dora scrambled down a black iron ladder on the side of the building, and Buru-su followed suit.  
  
Meanwhile, Andy and Chet had gotten themselves stuck in the doorway by trying to both get through at once. "He really doesn't mean it," Andy explained, "You know, he never even knew his father!"  
  
"Don't fall off the wagon!" Chet added.  
  
Now Buru-su was chasing Marion and Dora down an alleyway, gaining on them. Marion noticed a small crawlspace at the base of a nearby building, and dove at it. He squeezed through a tiny opening not more than a foot and a half high, and dropped down into a cellar, pulling Dora down with him.  
  
He instinctively crawled as far back into the crawlspace as he could, but to his horror found a cement wall only feet from the opening through which he'd entered. "Oh no, it's blocked!" Marion yelled.  
  
Because of his size, Buru-su knew he'd never be able to fit into the crawlspace, so he resorted to trying to enlarge the opening by breaking off brittle pieces of concrete and brick. Kneeling down on the street, Buru-su hurled himself at the wall repeatedly, each time breaking away more and more of the wall around the opening.  
  
Andy and Chet, who had apparently freed themselves, hurried to Buru-su's side. "No, Buru-su, focus!" Andy said.  
  
Chet glanced inside the crawlspace briefly. "Sorry about-" Wham! "Buru-su, mate!" Wham!  
  
Andy took his place. "He's really-" Wham! "A nice guy!" Wham!  
  
Marion noticed that the green jacket-his only clue to finding his son-was pinned under Buru-su' foot. "I gotta' get that jacket!" Marion thought aloud.  
  
"You want that jacket?" Dora asked, smiling, "Okay!"  
  
"No, no, no! Dora!" Marion protested, but it was too late. Dora was already pulling herself out of the crawlspace. Marion closed his eyes and followed.  
  
Andy and Chet managed to pull Buru-su away from the crawlspace, and he struggled against them.  
  
Dora grabbed the jacket, and the two disappeared back into the crawlspace.  
  
As Buru-su struggled against his two friends, he accidentally fired his gun. The bullet punctured the gas tank of one of the trio's motorcycles, causing a small river of gasoline to begin trickling out through the hole and flowing down the sidewalk.  
  
Andy and Chet both turned in the direction of the shot, and their eyes grew wide as they realized where the river of gasoline was headed.  
  
"Uh oh..." Chet muttered, "Buru-su?"  
  
Buru-su sniffed, and turned to look. "What?"  
  
The small ribbon of gasoline was slowly headed for a cluster of frayed electrical wires.  
  
Buru-su gasped. "Run away!" he yelled, "Run away!"  
  
Dora looked disappointed. "Aww, is the party over?"  
  
In a split second, the little river of gasoline and the copper ends of the live electrical wires touched, and a gigantic orange ball of fire exploded in the street. Marion and Dora ducked down in the crawlspace, hiding from the flames and debris.  
  
The two clung to each other as the curtain of black smoke and ash rained down violently, blocking the entrance to the crawlspace and submerging them in darkness.  
  
Not too far away, two boys were loitering on a roof somewhere when the remnants of sulfuric gas from the explosion wafted in their direction.  
  
One boy's shoe made a squeaking sound as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The second boy glanced at him, and then he noticed the smell of sulfur. He sweatdropped at his friend and said sarcastically, "Nice."  
  
He walked off, leaving the first boy thoroughly confused. 


	6. Chapter 5: The Gang

Ack!! I haven't updated forever!! I'm sorry you guys!! @__@ Thanks for all the nice reviews. *hugs* You guys are the best!! Also, most of the character's names are Japanese. In Japanese, 'Marion' actually is a man's name, even though it's a girl's name here. Being an otaku, I couldn't resist giving them all Japanese names, so... er, anyway. Just thought I'd mention that.  
  
Disclaimer: How about you go read the disclaimers in all the other chapters, ya lazy bum?! u_u;;  
  
~~~  
  
Niro wo Motomete  
  
Chapter 5: The Gang  
  
Niro felt his blindfold being taken off, but before he could survey his surroundings he was suddenly shoved forward. He stumbled down a narrow flight of stairs, and fell to the floor. He heard a door lock behind him. Terrified, the little boy scrambled to his feet and looked around. "Daddy?" he asked.  
  
He was in a white room with a dark blue carpet. There were numerous shelves lined with random oddities and books. A small couch rested against the wall, surrounded on both sides by boxes and end tables. The couch itself had several pillows and brightly colored blankets. Despite the bright colors and homey accents, the room felt foreign and threatening.  
  
Terrified, Niro took a few steps backward, and stumbled into something. He turned and found three ominous African masks looming over him. He yelled, and ran.  
  
Too scared to look where he was going, the little boy smacked right into the wall at the other end of the room. He turned and ran off in a different direction. Again, he was stopped abruptly. He ran again, and again he was stopped. And again. And again.  
  
He was trapped.  
  
Through a large window, Niro could see numerous building complexes and chambers. Some of them were divided by tall fences and barbed wire. Beyond the buildings and fences was a railroad track. And past that, was miles of blank flat land, with just a small glimmer of the city off in the distance. Niro had seen places like this in movies. He was in the barracks of a military base camp.  
  
Suddenly, a man appeared in front of the window. It was the same man who'd kidnapped Niro. Niro yelled, and ducked behind a bookshelf. The man at the window said something in a language he couldn't understand, but he sounded very cheerful. Niro peeked out from behind the bookshelf, and saw the man disappear inside the building next door.  
  
Nervously, Niro backed further away from the window, but in the process of doing so, he bumped into something else. He turned to look. He'd bumped into the corner of a small table, with a plastic treasure chest about the size of a shoebox on top of it. The treasure chest made a clicking sound, and a stream of bubbles burst from a small hole in the front of it.  
  
Suddenly, a frantic blonde-haired boy burst into the room shouting, "Bubbles!"  
  
Niro scrambled out of the way as the frantic boy dove at the treasure chest yelling, "BubblesbubblesbubblesIwannacatchthebubbles!" After a moment, the bubbles abruptly stopped. The blonde-haired boy clutched the toy treasure chest protectively. He looked at Niro suspiciously and told him, "My bubbles."  
  
Thoroughly shaken and equally weirded out, Niro backed away from the crazed boy. Again he bumped into something. He turned around. A pink-haired woman in a wheelchair looked up at him from her book, and explained, "He likes bubbles."  
  
Niro yelled and dove into a closet. He peered out through the slats near the bottom of the door, and saw several dark figures whispering to each other, coming nearer. Frightened, Niro backed away and huddled in the corner.  
  
"Bonjour," said a voice next to him.  
  
Niro screamed and ran out of the closet. A tall chubby boy with bleach- blonde spiky hair stopped him before he could get very far. "Whoa, slow down little fella'," he said, smiling, "There's nothing to worry about."  
  
Niro trembled.  
  
A shy-looking girl with midnight-blue hair streaked with white looked at Niro sympathetically. "Aww," she said, "He's scared to death."  
  
"I wanna go home." Niro looked around at the faces that surrounded him and asked shakily, "Do you know where my dad is?"  
  
"Honey," said Peace, the woman in the wheelchair, "Your dad is probably back at your old camp."  
  
"Camp?" Niro asked.  
  
"Yeah," said the Blake, the boy with the spiky hair, "You know, like, uh... I got transferred from Camp Hareta, in Japan."  
  
"Camp Kyuden," said Gagaru, a small boy with longish two-tone hair that faded from purple to yellow.  
  
"Fort Shabondama!" announced Bobby, the hyperactive blonde-haired boy.  
  
"Kage Orphanage," added Debbie, the blue-haired girl.  
  
"E. Bay," said Peace, looking up from her book.  
  
Gagaru put his hand on Niro's shoulder and smiled at him. "So," he said, "Which one is it?"  
  
"I'm from... the city?" Niro said hesitantly.  
  
Gagaru smiled. "Ah, the city." There was a beat of silence, and then Gagaru's eyes flew wide open. "The city! Aah!" he shrieked, clutching his hand as if it were on fire. "He hasn't been decontaminated yet!" Gagaru turned to the closet in which Niro had hid a few moments earlier, and yelled, "Jack!"  
  
A small French man with shiny red hair, a curled mustache, and a black beret popped out of the closet. "Oui?" he asked.  
  
"Clean him!" Gagaru yelled frantically.  
  
"Oui." Jack scuttled over to Niro and looked him up and down.  
  
"City!" Gagaru said.  
  
"Ooh, la ville!" Jack exclaimed. He produced a bottle of Lysol out of his back pocket and sprayed Niro head to foot. Then he took a small towel that he'd had draped over his shoulder, and dried Niro's hair. "Voila! He is clean!" Jack retreated back to his closet, blew a kiss to his audience, and closed the door.  
  
Bobby kneeled down in front of Niro. "So..." he said, "What's it like to see the big blue sky?"  
  
"Um..." said Niro, "Big... and... blue?"  
  
Bobby's eyes narrowed, and he looked around. "I knew it."  
  
Debbie smiled at Niro and said, "Kid if there's ever anything you need, just ask your Auntie Deb! That's me!" She laughed cheerfully. "Or, if I'm not around, you can just talk to my sister, Florence." Debbie smiled and waved at her reflection in a nearby mirror. "Hi, how are ya?" She turned back to Niro and whispered, "Don't listen to anything my sister says! She's nuts!"  
  
Peace said something, but it was muffled because her face was plastered to the window.  
  
"Can't hear ya', Peace," said Blake unenthusiastically, as though he were used to it.  
  
Peace turned to him. "I said we got a live one!"  
  
Peace's response was a number of excited shouts and cries of "Yes!" and "Oh boy!" as the gang all gathered around her and pressed their faces against the glass.  
  
They were looking out into the room that Niro's captor had disappeared into. Niro recognized that room as a dentist's office. Judging by the dentist's office next door, Peace being handicapped, Gagaru being a germophobe, and just about everyone else being at least a little crazy, Niro guessed that he was trapped in some kind of military base health facility.  
  
Considering how horrendously boring it must have been to be in the same room day-in and day-out, Niro could see why the gang was acting like dental work was a spectator sport.  
  
"What do we got?" Debbie asked.  
  
"Root canal," Peace answered, "And by the look of those x-rays, it's not gonna be pretty."  
  
The gang watched as the patient in the next room screamed in agony.  
  
"Rubber dam and clamp installed?" Blake asked.  
  
"Yep," replied Peace.  
  
"What did he use to open?" Gagaru asked.  
  
"Gator-Glidden drill," Peace said, "He seems to be favoring that one lately."  
  
Debbie moved her head from side to side anxiously, muttering at her reflection angrily, "I can't see, Florence!"  
  
The patient screamed again.  
  
"Now he's using the Schilder technique," Peace observed.  
  
"Ooh, he's using a hedstrom file!" Blake said.  
  
Gagaru scoffed. "That's not a hedstrom file. That's a k-flex."  
  
"It's got a teardrop cross-section," Blake replied, "Clearly a hedstrom!"  
  
"No, no..." Gagaru persisted, "K-flex."  
  
"Hedstrom!"  
  
"K-flex!"  
  
"Hedstro--!" Blake stopped mid-sentence, and clutched his head. "Ow! Migraine! I gotta' lie down!"  
  
Debbie sighed. "I'll get the Aspirin."  
  
The patient rinsed his mouth and spat in the sink. Gagaru cringed. "Ugh, the human mouth is a disgusting place!"  
  
Suddenly, a small biplane appeared outside the window. The pilot tried to land, but instead he crashed rather unceremoniously into the ground. The plane made a half-turn before skidding to a halt.  
  
"Hey, Neil," Peace said without batting an eye.  
  
The pilot, Neil, hopped out of the plane and rushed over to the window. "What did I miss, am I late?" he asked. He had thick light brown hair. He was wearing red flight goggles, a brown jacket, and blue jeans.  
  
"Root canal, and it's a doozy," Peace replied.  
  
"Root canal, huh?" Neil repeated, leaning in close to the window. "What did he use to open?"  
  
"Gator-Glidden drill."  
  
Neil nodded. "He's been favoring that one... hope he doesn't get surplus sealer at the portal terminus..." He glanced at the gang casually as he said this, and noticed Niro in the backgroud. "Hello!" Niro gasped and backed up. "Who's this?" Neil asked.  
  
"New guy!" Debbie laughed cheerfully.  
  
"He got taken from the city," Gagaru explained.  
  
Neil grinned. "An outie! From my neck of the woods, eh? Sorry if I ever took a shot at ya'. Soldier's gotta' do his job!"  
  
The dentist looked up and noticed Neil. He ran ouside, shouting at him. Neil quickly hopped in his helicopter and took off hastily. The tail caught on the side of the dentist's building, and shattered the window.  
  
As Neil flew off, the dentist walked over to inspect the window. He was muttering angrily, half to himself, half to his patient. Niro caught the name 'Darla' in the jumble of words.  
  
"Eh, Darla's not gonna be happy about this," the dentist said, returning inside. He opened a drawer and pulled out a small stack of paperwork. "She's my neice. She's in charge of the mental health facility." He gestured toward the building in which Niro and the gang were residing. "This week she's scheduled to come over and make her annual inspection." He turned and looked directly at Niro, smiling. "Hey little fella, say hello to your new mommy!" He held up the first sheet of paper. Along with text that Niro couldn't read, it had two photographs printed on it. The first was of a rather hideous woman, and the second was of an adolecent boy. "She's gonna be here on Friday to pick you up," the dentist continued. He put the paper down, said something else to the patient, and walked into the restroom.  
  
"Oh... Darla..." Blake said gravely, opening a drawer and pulling out another copy of the paper. Niro took it and examined it up close. Darla, the woman in the first picture, was even more hideous in detail. She had a big, crooked grin and thick stringy bright red hair, and her chubby face was infested with freckles.  
  
"What...... what's wrong with her?" Niro asked.  
  
"She couldn't get him to listen to her," Gagaru said bitterly.  
  
He was talking about the adolescent boy in the second picture. The boy had messy light orange hair. He was lying on his back, on the ground. His face had no expression. His eyes looked eerily vacant, staring blankly at nothing. Niro shuddered.  
  
"Poor Chuckie," Bobby said sadly.  
  
On the verge of tears, Debbie his her face in her hands. "He was here last year," she sobbed.  
  
"Got taken here for trespassing," Blake said, "She said he'd seen too much. Had to get rid of him."  
  
"She's a killer," Peace finished.  
  
Terrified, Niro turned away from the hideous picture and took off running again. "I can't go with her!" he yelled, "I have to get back home to my dad- - whoa!" The boy tripped and fell feet-first into an air vent on the floor. He got stuck at the waist.  
  
"He's stuck!" Debbie yelled. The gang immediately rushed to Niro's aid. They kneeled down, intent on freeing him from the vent.  
  
Suddenly, a sharp command froze them all in their places. "Nobody touch him!!" Their heads all snapped in the direction of the voice. A man emerged from a dark corner of the room. He was dressed in black pants and a black button-down shirt, with a white t-shirt underneath. His hair was pitch- black, his skin was pale and he had squinted brown eyes. Quietly, but still powerfully, he repeated, "Nobody touch him."  
  
He began to walk closer, and the gang responded by backing away respectively. As he approached Niro, his expression was firm and determined. Niro looked up at him helplessly. "Can you help me?" he begged.  
  
"No," he replied in a calm but sharp tone. "You got yourself in there, and you can get yourself out."  
  
Debbie stepped forward. "Girou..." she reasoned.  
  
"I just want to see him do it, okay?" Girou snapped. He turned back to Niro. "Now. Alternate pushing with your arms, and kicking your feet..."  
  
"I can't," Niro whimpered, "I have a bad arm!"  
  
For the first time in his life, that excuse made no difference. All his life, Niro had been given special treatment because of his handicap. In school, at home, anywhere he went... he was treated with special care and compassion. But now, the excuse wielded no sympathy. His cold expression remaining unchanged, Girou forever humbled the boy with one sentence. "Never stopped me."  
  
Girou turned slightly to the side. His right sleeve was rolled up, proudly displaying an array of long, deep scars adorning his arm. The right side of his face was also badly slashed. He had a long scar over his eye, and across his cheek, and a shorter one across his mouth. Niro's eyes widened. Girou wasn't simply being cold. He was giving Niro a message.  
  
He was right. Niro couldn't keep using his handicap as an excuse... he could do anything a normal boy could do. Girou had made him see that. Determination renewed, Niro did as Girou had commanded. Using every bit of strength he had in his small body, Niro pushed against the floor, straining to free himself from the air vent.  
  
Finally, Niro pulled himself out. He crawled a little ways on all fours before standing up and turning to look back at the air vent in which he'd been trapped only a few moments earlier. The air vent from which he'd freed himself... on his own. He looked back to the gang, a proud grin spreading across his face.  
  
Though his face remained grim, Girou was beaming on the inside. "Perfect," he said to himself. He had hope again.  
  
"Wow, from the outside," Peace mused. She glanced up at her Gothic companion. "Just like you, Girou."  
  
Girou nodded. "Yeah..."  
  
Peace grinned. "Heh. I've seen that look before." Indeed she had. Whenever he was cooking up an escape plan, the spark in Girou's eyes was unmistakeable. "What're you thinking about?"  
  
Still not taking his eyes off Niro, Girou replied, "I'm thinkin'... tonight we give the kid a proper reception."  
  
Niro was the center of attention. Blake, Gagaru, Debbie, Bobby, and Jack were all busy praising him and patting him on the back affectionately.  
  
"So kid, you got a name or what?" Blake asked, grinning.  
  
Niro smiled. "Niro," he said, "I'm Niro." 


	7. Chapter 6: Just Keep Skipping

Whoo, update time!! Sorry for the wait, especially to Mermaid Ninja. I'm not used to quick updating, cuz I didn't really think anyone would be so interested in my fic. Anyway, Sa-chan is BACK!! Mwahahahaha!! You guys are good. Some of your ideas have really helped me!! Thanks.   
  
Okay, disclaimer: These characters are all mine, and you can't prove a thing!! Bwahaha!! See? No one cares if I say that...  
  
Now, on with the fic...

  
  
Marion rolled over, muttering worriedly in his sleep. "Niro-chan..." He sat up suddenly, awaking from a bad dream, only to find himself in a real one. He gasped, remembering where he was-where they were. He nudged the sleeping figure curled up beside him. "Dora, wake up... we gotta get outta here..."  
  
The blue-haired girl murmured, wrapped up in the green jacket like it was a blanket. "Mmm..."  
  
"Dora, get up!!" Marion hissed, nudging her harder. After the explosion, they'd crawled out of their hiding place and slept for the night in an alleyway near the three bikers' meeting place. Worried they might come back, Marion wanted to get out of there as fast as he could. "Come on, get up!!"  
  
"Mmmph..." Dora muttered, "the monkey took my money..."  
  
"Dora!!"  
  
"Yes, I'm a natural blue..."  
  
Marion shook her in frustration. "Dora, get up!!"  
  
That was enough. She jumped up and scampered around, not knowing where she was. "No, don't, he's got a gun...!!" she screamed, still lost somewhere between sleep and reality. She stopped abruptly and looked up. Some blackened dust and concrete was crumbling off the wall of the building she stood before. That was the building where the explosion had gone off. All the windows were shattered, and the brick exterior was blackened and fragile.  
  
As Dora and Marion looked on, larger chunks of rubble began tumbling from the ruined building, raining down around them. That building was getting ready to collapse. Thinking fast, Marion grabbed Dora's wrist and took off. The pair scampered up a nearby building's fire escape and managed to reach the roof just in time. The ground shook as the ruined building collapsed in the street, sending a great cloud of dust into the air.  
  
Dora coughed a few times. "Wow... dusty," she observed.  
  
Marion glanced at her and gasped. "Dora!! Where's the jacket?"  
  
Looking confused, she tilted her head to the side. "Hm? What jacket?"  
  
As if on cue, they both looked down over the edge of the building on which they stood. "No!!" Marion shouted. He ran for the stairwell. Hoping to God there would be a door at the bottom leading outside, he threw the door open and took off down the stairs.  
  
He slowed his run to a walk when he realized he wouldn't be able to see where he was going. He had no idea where he was, and with every step the light from outside grew dimmer. In defeat, he collapsed on the stairs.  
  
Dora, however, skipped on along past him, humming. "La la la la la laaa... just keeps going on doesn't it?" she said half to herself, "Echo!! Echo!!" When she realized Marion wasn't following, she turned and went back for him. "Hey, Whatcha doing?" she asked, not understanding why he'd stopped so suddenly.  
  
"It's gone," Marion breathed hopelessly, "We lost the jacket..."  
  
Not having the faintest idea about the seriousness of the situation, Dora said casually, "What, didja drop it?"  
  
"YOU dropped it!!" Marion snapped. "That was my last hope of finding my son, and now it's gone..."  
  
Dora glanced down the shadow-laden flight of stairs, and then back at her worried companion. She didn't exactly remember what the two of them were trying to do, or why they were trying to do it. All she knew was that she and Marion needed to go down those stairs. She had to pull Marion out of his funk and get him going again. She smiled and leaned in close to him, making a silly exaggerated pouty face. "Hey, mister grumpy-pants!"  
  
He looked up at her with an expression of confusion and just plain shock.  
  
Seeing she'd gotten his attention, she grinned and elbowed him playfully. "When life gets you down, you know what ya gotta do?"  
  
Marion wasn't in the mood for games. "I don't wanna know what ya gotta do."  
  
Ignoring his protest completely, Dora took him by the hand and stood up. "Just keep skipping, just keep skipping," she sang in a lighthearted, childlike voice. She began bouncing slightly, doing a little cheerful dance as she urged Marion down the stairs. "Just keep skipping, skipping, skipping."  
  
Straining against Dora's grip, Marion leaned back and said in a stern, irritated monotone, "Dora, no singing."  
  
The blue-haired woman just sang louder. Marion clutched his head with his free hand, finally allowing himself to be dragged down the dark steps. "Dora, don't-- now you're gonna get stuck with that song--!! Now it's in my head!!"  
  
Dora stopped singing, and murmured apologetically, "Sorry..."  
  
But the song wasn't Marion's biggest concern right now. He suddenly realized just how dark it had gotten. He couldn't see a thing.This chapter was shorter than I'd originally planned to make it, but I just had to post SOMETHING before Ninja-girl exploded. XD (Just kidding. I really am sorry for the wait.) 


End file.
